Goodnight, Stacy
by klates
Summary: Coltrane takes Stacy out on a date. Sweet, and simple.


A/N: I live in England so the narrative will use some British words. However, since the characters are American, I've tried to use Americanisms wherever appropriate in their speech. That should explain some of the apparent inconsistencies. I hope. This is also my first fic. Ever. Please be nice to me.

Summary: Coltrane takes Stacy on a date. Sweet, and not at all the filth I usually write.

"Oh, my God, Candace, he's here! Gotta go."

It felt so good to be the one hanging up for once. Stacy threw her phone into her bag as she picked it up and headed for the door.

She opened the front door to see Coltrane grinning casually, leaning on the door-frame, his dreadlocks falling around his face, looking effortlessly cool. He took Stacy's hand and led her to his car, an old, beaten up Chevy. Stacy loved it immediately, it looked 'lived-in'. There was a bass-guitar case lying across the back seat.

"Where are we going?" asked Stacy nervously, once they were both sat down.

"Ah, you'll soon see," said Coltrane with a wink and a smile.

During the car ride, Stacy was overwhelmed with an unexpected shyness; she was usually so bubbly and outgoing. She wasn't sure if the silence was awkward or not. She glanced across at Coltrane. He was so calm and relaxed, this made her even more nervous. He noticed her staring and laughed gently. "It's okay, Stacy. Relax, we'll be there in a minute." Stacy could only smile in reply.

Eventually, Coltrane pulled up to a ticket machine and began searching for a space in a huge car park. Stacy had seen drive-in cinemas on TV, but never been to one in real life. She didn't know that there was one in Danville!

"I thought you'd like this, Stacy. Movies are a first-date favourite, but I wanted something a bit more memorable. Here, wind down your window," Coltrane said.

She did so, and a warm and lightly scented breeze wafted through the vehicle. The speaker outside crackled to life and began to play tinny sounding music as the film started.

"What movie is this?" Stacy asked.

"You'll have to wait and see," said Coltrane teasingly. "Look in the Glove-box."

Stacy clicked the lid and pulled out a paper-bag.

"Popcorn? Awesome!" she said. Coltrane reached over for the bag and Stacy felt a tingle and a rush as their hands brushed together.

"Thanks, Stacy," Coltrane said. He looked into her eyes and grinned. "Let's watch the movie."

Stacy immediately recognised the scene in front of her.

"Casablanca? Coltrane, this is my favourite! How did you know?"

"Ah, I just did a little asking around..." he said.

"You spoke to Candace, didn't you?"

"Apparently, you never shut up about this movie. I took that as a good sign," Coltrane smiled.

They didn't say anything else for a while as they enjoyed the film. It wasn't until Coltrane shifted to grab some more popcorn that Stacy noticed that they had been slowly shuffling toward each other until she was actually leaning comfortably on Coltrane's shoulder. She had relaxed considerably. Something about being in this boy's presence was astonishingly calming. She sighed happily as Coltrane settled and put his arm around her.

"Oh, damn," Coltrane said a little while later, "We're out of popcorn."

"Well, that's 'cause you keep grabbing loads with your big bass-player hands!" Stacy teased.

"Oh, you noticed that, huh," Coltrane said sheepishly.

Stacy had noticed that the atmosphere was definitely lighter now than it was, she had been so nervous before. She and Coltrane were clearly very comfortable in each other's company, she was so relieved they got on so well.

She decided to take a risk and took Coltrane's hands in her own. His expression suddenly became serious as he looked into her eyes. She gazed back at him and felt a jolt in her stomach. His hands were warm and she could feel the warmth spreading through her body from her fingertips.

Coltrane had a strange expression on his face. Stacy immediately regretted her actions and tried to move away.

"Coltrane I'm-" she began but was cut off as Coltrane gently turned her head, lent down and kissed her.

Stacy was shocked. All she could do was stare dumbly up at Coltrane. He laughed softly.

"You're what?"

"Um, nothing. Never mind," Stacy babbled. She tried to smile casually. She got the feeling it didn't quite look as casual as she'd hoped. Coltrane grinned and kissed her again, this time with more intensity, and Stacy eagerly kissed him back.

They broke apart a moment later. Now it was Coltrane's turn to babble;

"I'm so sorry, that was too much for a first date."

"Don't worry, it was perfect," Stacy reassured him. Coltrane looked relieved. They sat together in a comfortable silence and watched the end of the film.

All too soon it was over, and Stacy awoken from a blissful state of happiness as Coltrane shifted and stretched.

"Stace, you're going to have to sit up so I can drive you home," Coltrane said gently. Stacy missed Coltrane's reassuring warmth as she sat up and closed the window on her side of the car.

For the whole car ride home, Stacy longed to reach over and lean into Coltrane's inviting arms. They made polite small talk, neither quite knowing what to say to the other with the prospect of a goodbye looming ever closer.

The journey home felt significantly shorter than the one earlier that evening. Stacy found herself staring at her house rather a lot sooner than she had anticipated. Coltrane walked her to the front door.

"I guess this is goodnight then," he said quietly.

"Thank you, Coltrane. I really enjoyed this evening." Stacy said.

She looked up into his deep, brown eyes and felt as if he could see right into her soul. In unison they moved into a final goodnight kiss, sweet and gentle.

Coltrane pulled Stacy into a brief hug. He let go and gently squeezed her hands in his.

"Goodnight, Stacy," he whispered softly.

"Goodnight, Coltrane," she quietly replied.

She watched as Coltrane returned to his car and drove away, saddened by the fact that such a perfect evening had to end so soon.

She went inside and had to resist the urge to phone Candace; it would not be cool to kiss and tell. She could keep her friend waiting until morning.

~End~

A/N: So there she is! I love rare pairings. Poor Stacy gets overlooked far too much.


End file.
